UPDATE 6:57 p.m.: Below is one of 32 NFL team HQs tonight. For those who don’t know. Despite all the pageantry of the main event in New York, each team stays in its own city and conducts business via conference call, Cisco and the like.

8:15: In a move that stuns no one, the Chiefs still think it’s 1975 and draft OT, Eric Fisher, first overall. No reflection on the player here, but people who knock the Steelers for being old-school have no clue about how Kansas City is … and always will be.

8:44: Our Mark Kaboly sitting to my left, agonizing at being 0-4 in his mock draft. It’s not an easy science, for sure. Follow along with Kaboly’s angst at his Steel Mill blog.

9:11: There goes Tavon Austin of West Virginia, first local. Rams thought enough to move up at No. 8, so dire was their need at wide receiver. Man, this kid’s stock soared the past two months, even the past month alone.

Dejan Kovacevic, a lifelong Pittsburgher, is an award-winning sports columnist for Trib Total Media covering the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates, Pitt and, recently, his fourth Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He also appears on WPXI-TV's 'Subway Final Word’ and hosts a weekly show on TribLIVE Radio. For 2011, he was named one of the country's top four columnists by the AP Sports Editors. For 2012, he was named one of the country's top three columnists by the National Headliners. For 2013, he was named the state's top columnist by the Keystone Press Awards and top columnist in Western Pennsylvania by the Golden Quills.

He’s a toy. Something bright & shiny to play with when the day’s work is done. Teams drafting that high are there for a reason. They need football players, not toys. If a team like the Niners trades up to get him, I can buy that. But the reason some of these teams draft in the top 10 every year is because they continually draft players like Tavon Austin way too high.

Lets create a drinking game; every time either Kiper or Chuckie says “I love the athleticism” we take a shot. I’m glad we have these 3 chuckle heads giving us quality insight. I would have never guessed players being drafted in the top 15 would be athletic

I don’t not like the pick. My concern is that we need players who can step in and start and historically rookies on defense don’t start. Maybe he can play as a situational pass rusher like Lamar Woodley his rookie season. He’ll be a good player maybe in a year or two, but with the players we’ve lost and coming off an 8-8 season I’m not seeing the kind of splash player we need to come in and play right away and get this team back to the playoffs.

The best thing about the Jones pick is that he is not Kenny Vaccaro. Alright, I’ve beat that horse enough. The next best thing then is that we’ll hopefully have a two-headed snake again with Woodley at one edge and now Jones at the other. Opponents can’t double-team both. Supposedly, Jones is more plug-and-play-ready than rookies usually are with Dick Lebeau’s defense. Since the Steelers are clearly still all-in with the 3-4, I like getting Jones then. If Woodley is healthy this year, he’s going to like having Jones on the other side even more than I do.
The Steelers have drafted Heyward and Hood and re-upped McClendon. For better or worse, that’s our D-line going forward. Lawrence Timmons in the middle and our two edge rushers are now set. Setting aside the issue of Larry Foote’s heir, now it is time get a good safety or two on Friday. If the Steelers can pull that off, suddenly the Steel Curtain is looking younger and reloaded.